ESPN analyst, former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky: 'Trevor Lawrence and Kellen Mond not all that different'
One of college football’s most anticipated games this season happens Saturday.
Texas A&M travels to Death Valley to take on the nation’s No. 1 team in the Clemson Tigers.
The Aggies gave Clemson its toughest game during last season’s national championship run, as the Tigers won in College Station 28-26. Things look much different this year, however. Texas A&M primarily faced Kelly Bryant last year, and it will get its full taste of Trevor Lawrence Saturday.
Still, there’s optimism surrounding the Aggies’ hopes, as explained by ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky on “Get Up” Tuesday morning. He believes in Fisher’s ability to game plan.
“Listen, this is going to be a challenge for Clemson,” Orlovsky said. “Jimbo Fisher as a coach is one of the great game planners in college football and a great play-caller. Clemson’s got all four of those defensive linemen (from last year) playing on Sunday this week, right? So, a brand new defensive line. As a coach, he’s had all offseason to figure out, ‘How am I going to attack that new defensive line.’ I don’t know if they’re going to come out and run the ball a lot with three or four tight ends, if they’ll try and play with tempo to try and tire them out or if they’ll spread the field. I just know that Jimbo Fisher is not going to just sit back.”
Orlovsky then compared the two quarterbacks Kellen Mond and Lawrence, and admitted that in a college system, they aren’t all that different.
“Let’s be honest — college quarterback-wise, I’m not talking about NFL prospects,” Orlovsky said. “College quarterback-wise Trevor Lawrence and Kellen Mond aren’t all that different. Kellen Mond is a very good player.”
Of course, Lawrence will likely be the first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft if he decides to leave school early and is thought of as being NFL ready right now.
However, Mond’s development in the Aggies first game was very obvious. He made some incredible throws, and should he keep up that level of play and accuracy, Mond could work his way into first-round talks in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Texas A&M and Clemson kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ABC.